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| The '''Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum''' was a ] located in ] and known by other names such as '''West Virginia Hospital for the Insane''' and '''Weston State Hospital'''. The asylum was open to patients from October 1864 until May 1994. |
The '''Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum''' was a ] located in ] and known by other names such as '''West Virginia Hospital for the Insane''' and '''Weston State Hospital'''. The asylum was open to patients from October 1864 until May 1994. After its closure, patients were transitioned to the new '''William R. Sharpe, Jr. Hospital''' in Weston, named after ], a member of the ].<ref name="WVenc" /><ref name="WHRChist">{{cite web |author=Weston Hospital Revitalization Committee |year=2005 |title=Hospital History |url=http://www.westonlandmark.com/history.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20010713141751/http://www.westonlandmark.com/history.htm |archive-date=2001-07-13 |access-date=2007-02-15}}</ref> The hospital reopened as a tourist location in March 2008.<ref name="WVenc">{{cite book |last=Swick |first=Gerald D. |title=The West Virginia Encyclopedia |publisher=West Virginia Humanities Council |year=2006 |isbn=0-9778498-0-5 |editor=Ken Sullivan |location=Charleston, W.Va. |pages=779 |chapter=Weston State Hospital}}</ref> | ||
| Utilizing the ], the hospital was designed by architect ] of Baltimore, Maryland.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Weston State Hospital – Kirkbride Buildings |url=https://www.kirkbridebuildings.com/buildings/weston/ |access-date=2024-04-05 |website=www.kirkbridebuildings.com}}</ref> Construction of the hospital started in 1858 but was not completed until 1881.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/78002805}}</ref> Originally designed to accommodate 250 patients, it became overcrowded in the 1950s with 2,400 patients. |
Utilizing the ], the hospital was designed by architect ] of Baltimore, Maryland.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Weston State Hospital – Kirkbride Buildings |url=https://www.kirkbridebuildings.com/buildings/weston/ |access-date=2024-04-05 |website=www.kirkbridebuildings.com}}</ref> Construction of the hospital started in 1858 but was not completed until 1881.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/78002805}}</ref> Originally designed to accommodate 250 patients, it became overcrowded in the 1950s with 2,400 patients. The asylum was sold at auction in 2007 and is open for tours and other events to raise money for its restoration.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Writer |first=Jenn Young, Staff |date=2007-08-31 |title=Old Weston State Hospital auctioned off for $1.5 million |url=https://www.wvnews.com/theet/news/local/old-weston-state-hospital-auctioned-off-for-1-5-million/article_8172496c-eaea-5251-8ba3-133881b39f12.html |access-date=2024-04-05 |website=WV News |language=en}}</ref> The main building of the hospital is said to be one of the largest hand-cut ] buildings in the United States and was designated a ] in 1990.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-03-28 |title=National Historic Landmarks Program (NHL) |url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1791&ResourceType=Building |access-date=2024-04-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080328041110/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1791&ResourceType=Building |archive-date=March 28, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Blair |first1=Thomas R. |title=The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, Then and Now |journal=American Journal of Psychiatry |date=November 2014 |volume=171 |issue=11 |pages=1160–1161 |doi=10.1176/appi.ajp.2014.14060747 |pmid=25756633}}</ref> | ||
| ==History== | ==History== | ||
| Line 27: | Line 27: | ||
| The construction of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum was authorized by the ].<ref>{{Cite news |first1=Jim |last1=Barnes |date=25 May 2018 |title=In West Virginia, a moving, respectful tour of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/in-west-virginia-a-moving-respectful-tour-of-the-trans-allegheny-lunatic-asylum/2018/05/24/03d476e6-5937-11e8-858f-12becb4d6067_story.html |newspaper=Washington Post }}</ref> An appointed Board of Directors was tasked with the purchase of a pre-approved parcel of land near the ], which at the time was still considered the state of Virginia.<ref name="WHRChist" /> Construction began in late 1858 and was initially conducted by prison laborers.<ref name=":3">{{cite thesis |id={{ProQuest|304446506}} |last1=Jacks |first1=Kim |date=2008 |title=Weston State Hospital }}{{pn|date=April 2024}}</ref><ref name="WHRChist" /> Most of the building materials were sourced nearby, most notably the blue sandstone from a quarry in Mt. Clare, West Virginia and because of this, skilled stonemasons from Germany and Ireland were employed.<ref name="WVenc" /><ref name="WHRChist" /><ref name=":3" /> | The construction of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum was authorized by the ].<ref>{{Cite news |first1=Jim |last1=Barnes |date=25 May 2018 |title=In West Virginia, a moving, respectful tour of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/in-west-virginia-a-moving-respectful-tour-of-the-trans-allegheny-lunatic-asylum/2018/05/24/03d476e6-5937-11e8-858f-12becb4d6067_story.html |newspaper=Washington Post }}</ref> An appointed Board of Directors was tasked with the purchase of a pre-approved parcel of land near the ], which at the time was still considered the state of Virginia.<ref name="WHRChist" /> Construction began in late 1858 and was initially conducted by prison laborers.<ref name=":3">{{cite thesis |id={{ProQuest|304446506}} |last1=Jacks |first1=Kim |date=2008 |title=Weston State Hospital }}{{pn|date=April 2024}}</ref><ref name="WHRChist" /> Most of the building materials were sourced nearby, most notably the blue sandstone from a quarry in Mt. Clare, West Virginia and because of this, skilled stonemasons from Germany and Ireland were employed.<ref name="WVenc" /><ref name="WHRChist" /><ref name=":3" /> | ||
| Construction was interrupted by the outbreak of the ] in 1861. Following the ] of the State of Virginia from the United States, the government demanded the return of the hospital's unused construction funds for its defense. However, before this could occur, the ] seized the money from a local bank, delivering it to ].<ref name="WVenc" /><ref name="WHRChist" /> This money was to set aside for use by the Virginia government who remained loyal to the |
Construction was interrupted by the outbreak of the ] in 1861. Following the ] of the State of Virginia from the United States, the government demanded the return of the hospital's unused construction funds for its defense. However, before this could occur, the ] seized the money from a local bank, delivering it to ].<ref name="WVenc" /><ref name="WHRChist" /> This money was to set aside for use by the Virginia government who remained loyal to the Union, also known as the ].<ref>{{Cite news |orig-date=Wednesday, June 22, 1864 |title=The Restored Government of Virginia--History of the New State of Things. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1864/06/26/archives/virginia-the-restored-government-of-virginiahistory-of-the-new.html |work=New-York Times |date=June 26, 1864 |location=Virginia}}</ref> These funds were designated as a “start-up treasury” for what would become a new ] State. Funding was appropriated from this established treasury for the hospital's continued construction in 1862.<ref name="WHRChist" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Virginia-West Virginia Debt Agreement of 1861 ORDINANCES OF CONVENTION, ASSEMBLED AT WHEELING, VIRGINIA JUNE 11, 1861 ORDINANCE OF AUGUST 20, 1861 |url=https://law.lis.virginia.gov/pdf/compacts/virginia-west-virginia-debt-agreement-of-1861/}}</ref> | ||
| While construction was attempted during the war, the grounds and buildings were often occupied by both ] and ] military and building supplies were taken by |
While construction was attempted during the war, the grounds and buildings were often occupied by both ] and ] military and building supplies were taken by Confederate raiders.<ref name="WHRChist" /> Following the admission of West Virginia as a U.S. state in 1863, the hospital was renamed the West Virginia Hospital for the Insane. The first patients were admitted in October 1864, but construction continued into 1881. The 200-foot (61 m)<ref name="WHRCnews">{{cite web|url=http://www.westonlandmark.com/news.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20010813164408/http://www.westonlandmark.com/news.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2001-08-13 |title=Hospital News |author=Weston Hospital Revitalization Committee |year=2005 |access-date=2007-02-19 }}</ref> central clock tower was completed in 1871, and separate rooms for ] were completed in 1873.<ref name="WVenc" /><ref name="WHRChist" /><ref name="WVnrhp">{{cite book |title=Historic West Virginia: The National Register of Historic Places |publisher=West Virginia Division of Culture and History: State Historic Preservation Office |year=2000 |location=Charleston, W.Va. |pages=74–75}}</ref> The hospital was intended to be self-sufficient,<ref name="WVnrhp" /> and a farm, dairy, ], and cemetery were located on its grounds. | ||
| Patients were admitted into the asylum for a variety of reasons including asthma, laziness, egotism, domestic troubles, and even greediness. This led to an overwhelming number of patients being admitted, causing the asylum to face a shortage of staff and beds.<ref name="thehauntedplaces.com">{{Cite web |date=2021-09-13 |title=Murders at Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum |url=https://thehauntedplaces.com/trans-allegheny-lunatic-asylum-murders/ |access-date=2022-06-07 |website=The Haunted Places |language=en-US}}</ref> | |||
| ===20th century=== | ===20th century=== | ||
| A ] well was drilled on the hospital grounds in 1902.<ref name=WHRChist/> |
A ] well was drilled on the hospital grounds in 1902.<ref name=WHRChist/> Its name was again changed to Weston State Hospital in 1913.<ref name=WVenc/> | ||
| Originally designed to house 250 patients in solitude, the hospital held 717 patients by 1880; 1,661 in 1938; over 1,800 in 1949; at its peak, 2,600 in the 1950s in overcrowded conditions. |
Originally designed to house 250 patients in solitude, the hospital held 717 patients by 1880; 1,661 in 1938; over 1,800 in 1949; at its peak, 2,600 in the 1950s in overcrowded conditions. A 1938 report by a survey committee organized by a group of North American medical organizations found that the hospital housed "], ], ] and non-educable mental defectives" among its population. A series of reports by '']'' in 1949 found poor sanitation and insufficient furniture, lighting, and heating in much of the complex, while one wing, which had been rebuilt using ] funds following a 1935 fire started by a patient, was comparatively luxurious.<ref name=WHRChist/> | ||
| The lack of proper care and access to sanitation led to a large number of deaths at the asylum. While the official count of patients who have died in the asylum is not available, research is currently underway to determine an accurate count. Weston State Hospital expert and historian, Titus Swan, estimates the number to be in or above the five figure range.<ref name="thehauntedplaces.com"/> | The lack of proper care and access to sanitation led to a large number of deaths at the asylum. While the official count of patients who have died in the asylum is not available, research is currently underway to determine an accurate count. Weston State Hospital expert and historian, Titus Swan, estimates the number to be in or above the five figure range.<ref name="thehauntedplaces.com"/> | ||
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| Weston State Hospital found itself to be the home for the West Virginia Lobotomy Project in the early 1950s. This was an effort by the state of West Virginia and ] to use ] to reduce the number of patients in asylums because there was severe overcrowding.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=American Lobotomy: A Rhetorical History|last=Johnson|first=Jenell|date=19 April 2016|publisher=University of Michigan Press|isbn=978-0-472-03665-3|pages=152, 162, 164–165, 168–169}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Cahal |first=Sherman |date=2019-07-05 |title=Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum |url=http://abandonedonline.net/location/trans-allegheny-lunatic-asylum/ |access-date=2019-11-10 |website=Abandoned |language=en-US}}</ref> | Weston State Hospital found itself to be the home for the West Virginia Lobotomy Project in the early 1950s. This was an effort by the state of West Virginia and ] to use ] to reduce the number of patients in asylums because there was severe overcrowding.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=American Lobotomy: A Rhetorical History|last=Johnson|first=Jenell|date=19 April 2016|publisher=University of Michigan Press|isbn=978-0-472-03665-3|pages=152, 162, 164–165, 168–169}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Cahal |first=Sherman |date=2019-07-05 |title=Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum |url=http://abandonedonline.net/location/trans-allegheny-lunatic-asylum/ |access-date=2019-11-10 |website=Abandoned |language=en-US}}</ref> | ||
| By the 1980s, the hospital had a reduced population due to changes in the treatment of mental illness. Those patients who could not be controlled were often locked in cages. |
By the 1980s, the hospital had a reduced population due to changes in the treatment of mental illness. Those patients who could not be controlled were often locked in cages. In February 1986, then-Governor ] announced plans to build a new psychiatric facility elsewhere in the state and convert the Weston hospital to a prison. Moore authorized work to begin on the prison conversion, but the state found the move to be unconstitutional and work was suspended. <ref name=":1" /><ref name=WHRChist/> Ultimately the new facility, the William R. Sharpe Jr. Hospital, was built in Weston and the old Weston State Hospital closed in May 1994. The closure came by court order due in part to a class action lawsuit filed by family members of patients. <ref name=WVenc/> The building and its grounds have since been mostly vacant, aside from local events such as fairs, church revivals, and tours.<ref name=WHRChist/> In 1999, all four floors of the interior of the building were damaged by several off duty city, county and state police officers playing ],<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.post-gazette.com/regionstate/19990620paint4.asp |title=A Town Sees Red Over Police Vandalism. |author=Post Gazette | work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | date=1999-06-20}}</ref> three of whom were dismissed over the incident. | ||
| Efforts towards ] of the building have included proposals to convert the building into a Civil War Museum<ref name=WVenc/> and a hotel and golf course complex.<ref name=WHRCnews/><ref name=":1" /> A non-profit ] organization, the Weston Hospital Revitalization Committee, was formed in 2000 for the purpose of aiding the preservation of the building and finding appropriate tenants.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.westonlandmark.com/about_whrc.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20061120102548/http://www.westonlandmark.com/about_whrc.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2006-11-20 |title=About WHRC |author=Weston Hospital Revitalization Committee |year=2005 |access-date=2007-02-19 }}</ref><ref name=":1" /> | Efforts towards ] of the building have included proposals to convert the building into a Civil War Museum<ref name=WVenc/> and a hotel and golf course complex.<ref name=WHRCnews/><ref name=":1" /> A non-profit ] organization, the Weston Hospital Revitalization Committee, was formed in 2000 for the purpose of aiding the preservation of the building and finding appropriate tenants.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.westonlandmark.com/about_whrc.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20061120102548/http://www.westonlandmark.com/about_whrc.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2006-11-20 |title=About WHRC |author=Weston Hospital Revitalization Committee |year=2005 |access-date=2007-02-19 }}</ref><ref name=":1" /> | ||
| ===21st century=== | ===21st century=== | ||
| ]Three small museums devoted to military history, toys, and mental health were opened on the first floor of the main hospital building in 2004, but were soon forced to close due to ] violations.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=WHRCnews/> | ]Three small museums devoted to military history, toys, and mental health were opened on the first floor of the main hospital building in 2004, but were soon forced to close due to ] violations.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=WHRCnews/> | ||
| The hospital was auctioned by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources on August 29, 2007. Joe Jordan, an asbestos demolition contractor from ], was the high bidder and paid $1.5 million for the {{convert|242000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} building. Bidding started at $500,000.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailymail.com/story/News/2007082978/Morgantown-contractor-buys-old-Weston-State-Hospital/ |title=Morgantown contractor buys old Weston State Hospital |newspaper=Charleston Daily Mail |access-date=2007-08-29 }}{{dead link|date=January 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Joe Jordan has also begun maintenance projects on the former hospital grounds. In October 2007, a Fall Fest was held at the Weston State Hospital. Guided historic and paranormal daytime tours were offered as well as evening ghost hunts and paranormal tours.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://trans-alleghenylunaticasylum.com/main/hauntings.html|title=Paranormal tours and Ghost Hunts TRANS-ALLEGHENY LUNATIC ASYLUM|website=trans-alleghenylunaticasylum.com|access-date=2017-09-20}}</ref> | The hospital was auctioned by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources on August 29, 2007. Joe Jordan, an asbestos demolition contractor from ], was the high bidder and paid $1.5 million for the {{convert|242000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} building. Bidding started at $500,000.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailymail.com/story/News/2007082978/Morgantown-contractor-buys-old-Weston-State-Hospital/ |title=Morgantown contractor buys old Weston State Hospital |newspaper=Charleston Daily Mail |access-date=2007-08-29 }}{{dead link|date=January 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Joe Jordan has also begun maintenance projects on the former hospital grounds. In October 2007, a Fall Fest was held at the Weston State Hospital. Guided historic and paranormal daytime tours were offered as well as evening ghost hunts and paranormal tours.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://trans-alleghenylunaticasylum.com/main/hauntings.html|title=Paranormal tours and Ghost Hunts TRANS-ALLEGHENY LUNATIC ASYLUM|website=trans-alleghenylunaticasylum.com|access-date=2017-09-20}}</ref> | ||
| ]The main building of the asylum, known as the Kirkbride, holds several rooms that serve as the museum, located on the first floor. There are paintings, poems, and drawings made by patients in the art therapy programs, a room dedicated to the different medical treatments and restraints used in the past, and artifacts such as a straitjacket and hydrotherapy tub. The tour guides dress in clothes that resemble 19th century nurse outfits; blue dress, white apron, white cap, and white shoes. The shorter historical tour offer allows visitors to see the first floor of the Kirkbride, while the longer historical tour allows visitors to see all four floors, apartments of the staff, the morgue, and the operating room. Aside from the historical tours, there are also two paranormal tours. Both start as the sun sets, the shorter tour lasting around two to three hours, the longer tour being overnight with the option of having a private tour.<ref name=":0" /> | ]The main building of the asylum, known as the Kirkbride, holds several rooms that serve as the museum, located on the first floor. There are paintings, poems, and drawings made by patients in the art therapy programs, a room dedicated to the different medical treatments and restraints used in the past, and artifacts such as a straitjacket and hydrotherapy tub. The tour guides dress in clothes that resemble 19th century nurse outfits; blue dress, white apron, white cap, and white shoes. The shorter historical tour offer allows visitors to see the first floor of the Kirkbride, while the longer historical tour allows visitors to see all four floors, apartments of the staff, the morgue, and the operating room. Aside from the historical tours, there are also two paranormal tours. Both start as the sun sets, the shorter tour lasting around two to three hours, the longer tour being overnight with the option of having a private tour.<ref name=":0" /> | ||
| ==In popular culture== | ==In popular culture== | ||
| ]The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum is featured in the Pulitzer |
]The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum is featured in the Pulitzer-winning novel ] by West Virginia author ]. This Civil War era story is set in the Asylum and explores daily life in the early days of its operation. | ||
| *The former facility was featured as a haunted location on several paranormal television shows, including '']'', ]'s '']'', ]'s '']'', and '']'' on ]/] as well as '']'' and '']'' and most recently Travel Channel's '']'' and '']''. | *The former facility was featured as a haunted location on several paranormal television shows, including '']'', ]'s '']'', ]'s '']'', and '']'' on ]/] as well as '']'' and '']'' and most recently Travel Channel's '']'' and '']''. | ||
| *The facility is featured in ]' 2018 video game '']'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wboy.com/news/lewis/asylum-making-plans-to-capitalize-on-appearance-in-fallout-76/|title=Asylum making plans to capitalize on appearance in Fallout 76|last=Hines|first=Alex|date=October 12, 2018|website=]|access-date=January 16, 2024}}</ref> under the name "Fort Defiance," acting as a base for The Brotherhood of Steel, one of the game's main factions. | *The facility is featured in ]' 2018 video game '']'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wboy.com/news/lewis/asylum-making-plans-to-capitalize-on-appearance-in-fallout-76/|title=Asylum making plans to capitalize on appearance in Fallout 76|last=Hines|first=Alex|date=October 12, 2018|website=]|access-date=January 16, 2024}}</ref> under the name "Fort Defiance," acting as a base for The Brotherhood of Steel, one of the game's main factions. | ||
| *The facility is featured in episode 60 of the podcast '']''. | *The facility is featured in episode 60 of the podcast '']''. | ||
| *], a songwriter, musician, and artist, and featured in the documentary ], was a patient at the hospital during the late 1980s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=SPIN Staff Writer |date=March 1989 |title=Phantom of My Own Opera: |
*], a songwriter, musician, and artist, and featured in the documentary ], was a patient at the hospital during the late 1980s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=SPIN Staff Writer |date=March 1989 |title=Phantom of My Own Opera: SPIN's 1989 Daniel Johnston Profile |url=https://www.spin.com/2019/09/daniel-johnston-interview-spin-1989/ }}</ref> | ||
| *The facility is featured on ''Expedition X'', released on the ] in August 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-08-12 |title='Expedition X' two-part premiere to feature Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum |url=https://www.wowktv.com/news/west-virginia/expedition-x-premiere-to-feature-trans-allegheny-lunatic-asylum/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=socialflow&fbclid=IwY2xjawEps6VleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHQKLIKB7kft7eFryVwHMa2JD-YE3WZumxU0QHJ1tqQPSADpj5cB0-L_BTw_aem_hLzaf29hyD7tPDMMT0lQfA |access-date=2024-08-14 |website=WOWK 13 News |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-08-12 |title='Expedition X' two-part premiere to feature Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum |url=https://www.wboy.com/news/lewis/expedition-x-premiere-to-feature-trans-allegheny-lunatic-asylum/ |access-date=2024-08-14 |website=WBOY.com |language=en-US}}</ref> | |||
| == Gallery == | == Gallery == | ||
| <gallery> | <gallery> | ||
| File:Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 2017 -1.jpg| |
File:Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 2017 -1.jpg|Frontal view of the asylum | ||
| Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 2017 -2.jpg|Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 2017 | File:Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 2017 -2.jpg|Violin on display | ||
| File:Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 2017 -3.jpg|Display | |||
| Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 2017 - |
File:Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 2017 -4.jpg|View of a central room in the asylum | ||
| Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 2017 - |
File:Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 2017 -5.jpg|View through an external window | ||
| Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 2017 - |
File:Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 2017 -6.jpg|Artifact on display | ||
| Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 2017 - |
File:Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 2017 -7.jpg|Corridor inside the asylum | ||
| Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 2017 - |
File:Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 2017 -8.jpg|Corridor inside the asylum | ||
| Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 2017 - |
File:Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 2017 -14.jpg|Desk displaying various artifacts | ||
| Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 2017 - |
File:Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 2017 -13.jpg|View down a corridor in the asylum | ||
| Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 2017 -13.jpg|Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 2017 | |||
| </gallery> | </gallery> | ||
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| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
Latest revision as of 21:02, 5 November 2024
United States historic place
| Weston State Hospital | |
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| U.S. National Historic Landmark | |
 The Hospital's main building in 2006 | |
  Show map of West Virginia Show map of the United States | |
| Location | Asylum Drive, Weston, West Virginia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°02′19″N 80°28′17″W / 39.03861°N 80.47139°W / 39.03861; -80.47139 |
| Area | 26.5 acres (10.7 ha) |
| Built | Constructed 1858–1881. Opened to patients 1864. |
| Architect | Richard Snowden Andrews |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival Tudor Revival Kirkbride Plan Jacobean Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 78002805 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | April 19, 1978 |
| Designated NHL | June 21, 1990 |
The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum was a psychiatric hospital located in Weston, West Virginia and known by other names such as West Virginia Hospital for the Insane and Weston State Hospital. The asylum was open to patients from October 1864 until May 1994. After its closure, patients were transitioned to the new William R. Sharpe, Jr. Hospital in Weston, named after William R. Sharpe Jr., a member of the West Virginia Senate. The hospital reopened as a tourist location in March 2008.
Utilizing the Kirkbride Plan, the hospital was designed by architect Richard Snowden Andrews of Baltimore, Maryland. Construction of the hospital started in 1858 but was not completed until 1881. Originally designed to accommodate 250 patients, it became overcrowded in the 1950s with 2,400 patients. The asylum was sold at auction in 2007 and is open for tours and other events to raise money for its restoration. The main building of the hospital is said to be one of the largest hand-cut stonemasonry buildings in the United States and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1990.
History
19th century
The construction of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum was authorized by the Virginia General Assembly. An appointed Board of Directors was tasked with the purchase of a pre-approved parcel of land near the West Fork River, which at the time was still considered the state of Virginia. Construction began in late 1858 and was initially conducted by prison laborers. Most of the building materials were sourced nearby, most notably the blue sandstone from a quarry in Mt. Clare, West Virginia and because of this, skilled stonemasons from Germany and Ireland were employed.
Construction was interrupted by the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861. Following the secession of the State of Virginia from the United States, the government demanded the return of the hospital's unused construction funds for its defense. However, before this could occur, the 7th Ohio Volunteer Infantry seized the money from a local bank, delivering it to Wheeling. This money was to set aside for use by the Virginia government who remained loyal to the Union, also known as the Restored Government of Virginia. These funds were designated as a “start-up treasury” for what would become a new Union State. Funding was appropriated from this established treasury for the hospital's continued construction in 1862.
While construction was attempted during the war, the grounds and buildings were often occupied by both Union and Confederate military and building supplies were taken by Confederate raiders. Following the admission of West Virginia as a U.S. state in 1863, the hospital was renamed the West Virginia Hospital for the Insane. The first patients were admitted in October 1864, but construction continued into 1881. The 200-foot (61 m) central clock tower was completed in 1871, and separate rooms for black people were completed in 1873. The hospital was intended to be self-sufficient, and a farm, dairy, waterworks, and cemetery were located on its grounds.
Patients were admitted into the asylum for a variety of reasons including asthma, laziness, egotism, domestic troubles, and even greediness. This led to an overwhelming number of patients being admitted, causing the asylum to face a shortage of staff and beds.
20th century
A gas well was drilled on the hospital grounds in 1902. Its name was again changed to Weston State Hospital in 1913.
Originally designed to house 250 patients in solitude, the hospital held 717 patients by 1880; 1,661 in 1938; over 1,800 in 1949; at its peak, 2,600 in the 1950s in overcrowded conditions. A 1938 report by a survey committee organized by a group of North American medical organizations found that the hospital housed "epileptics, alcoholics, drug addicts and non-educable mental defectives" among its population. A series of reports by The Charleston Gazette in 1949 found poor sanitation and insufficient furniture, lighting, and heating in much of the complex, while one wing, which had been rebuilt using Works Progress Administration funds following a 1935 fire started by a patient, was comparatively luxurious.
The lack of proper care and access to sanitation led to a large number of deaths at the asylum. While the official count of patients who have died in the asylum is not available, research is currently underway to determine an accurate count. Weston State Hospital expert and historian, Titus Swan, estimates the number to be in or above the five figure range.
Weston State Hospital found itself to be the home for the West Virginia Lobotomy Project in the early 1950s. This was an effort by the state of West Virginia and Walter Freeman to use lobotomy to reduce the number of patients in asylums because there was severe overcrowding.
By the 1980s, the hospital had a reduced population due to changes in the treatment of mental illness. Those patients who could not be controlled were often locked in cages. In February 1986, then-Governor Arch Moore announced plans to build a new psychiatric facility elsewhere in the state and convert the Weston hospital to a prison. Moore authorized work to begin on the prison conversion, but the state found the move to be unconstitutional and work was suspended. Ultimately the new facility, the William R. Sharpe Jr. Hospital, was built in Weston and the old Weston State Hospital closed in May 1994. The closure came by court order due in part to a class action lawsuit filed by family members of patients. The building and its grounds have since been mostly vacant, aside from local events such as fairs, church revivals, and tours. In 1999, all four floors of the interior of the building were damaged by several off duty city, county and state police officers playing paintball, three of whom were dismissed over the incident.
Efforts towards adaptive reuse of the building have included proposals to convert the building into a Civil War Museum and a hotel and golf course complex. A non-profit 501(c)3 organization, the Weston Hospital Revitalization Committee, was formed in 2000 for the purpose of aiding the preservation of the building and finding appropriate tenants.
21st century
Three small museums devoted to military history, toys, and mental health were opened on the first floor of the main hospital building in 2004, but were soon forced to close due to fire code violations.
The hospital was auctioned by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources on August 29, 2007. Joe Jordan, an asbestos demolition contractor from Morgantown, was the high bidder and paid $1.5 million for the 242,000-square-foot (22,500 m) building. Bidding started at $500,000. Joe Jordan has also begun maintenance projects on the former hospital grounds. In October 2007, a Fall Fest was held at the Weston State Hospital. Guided historic and paranormal daytime tours were offered as well as evening ghost hunts and paranormal tours.
The main building of the asylum, known as the Kirkbride, holds several rooms that serve as the museum, located on the first floor. There are paintings, poems, and drawings made by patients in the art therapy programs, a room dedicated to the different medical treatments and restraints used in the past, and artifacts such as a straitjacket and hydrotherapy tub. The tour guides dress in clothes that resemble 19th century nurse outfits; blue dress, white apron, white cap, and white shoes. The shorter historical tour offer allows visitors to see the first floor of the Kirkbride, while the longer historical tour allows visitors to see all four floors, apartments of the staff, the morgue, and the operating room. Aside from the historical tours, there are also two paranormal tours. Both start as the sun sets, the shorter tour lasting around two to three hours, the longer tour being overnight with the option of having a private tour.
In popular culture
The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum is featured in the Pulitzer-winning novel Night Watch by West Virginia author Jayne Anne Phillips. This Civil War era story is set in the Asylum and explores daily life in the early days of its operation.
- The former facility was featured as a haunted location on several paranormal television shows, including Ghost Stories, Syfy's Ghost Hunters, Travel Channel's Ghost Adventures, and Paranormal Lockdown on Destination America/TLC as well as Portals to Hell and Sam and Colby and most recently Travel Channel's Destination Fear and Conjuring Kesha.
- The facility is featured in Bethesda Game Studios' 2018 video game Fallout 76, under the name "Fort Defiance," acting as a base for The Brotherhood of Steel, one of the game's main factions.
- The facility is featured in episode 60 of the podcast Lore.
- Daniel Johnston, a songwriter, musician, and artist, and featured in the documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston, was a patient at the hospital during the late 1980s.
- The facility is featured on Expedition X, released on the Discovery Channel in August 2024.
Gallery
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Frontal view of the asylum
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Violin on display
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Display
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View of a central room in the asylum
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View through an external window
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Artifact on display
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Corridor inside the asylum
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Corridor inside the asylum
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Desk displaying various artifacts
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View down a corridor in the asylum
See also
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- West Virginia SHPO and Carolyn Pitts (January 10, 1990). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Weston Hospital Main Building / The Lunatic Asylym West of the Alleghany Mountains / West Virginia Hospital for the Insane". National Park Service.
- "Weston Hospital Main Building". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on March 28, 2008. Retrieved October 13, 2007.
- ^ Swick, Gerald D. (2006). "Weston State Hospital". In Ken Sullivan (ed.). The West Virginia Encyclopedia. Charleston, W.Va.: West Virginia Humanities Council. p. 779. ISBN 0-9778498-0-5.
- ^ Weston Hospital Revitalization Committee (2005). "Hospital History". Archived from the original on July 13, 2001. Retrieved February 15, 2007.
- "Weston State Hospital – Kirkbride Buildings". www.kirkbridebuildings.com. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
- ^ "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum".
- Writer, Jenn Young, Staff (August 31, 2007). "Old Weston State Hospital auctioned off for $1.5 million". WV News. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - "National Historic Landmarks Program (NHL)". March 28, 2008. Archived from the original on March 28, 2008. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
- Blair, Thomas R. (November 2014). "The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, Then and Now". American Journal of Psychiatry. 171 (11): 1160–1161. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2014.14060747. PMID 25756633.
- Barnes, Jim (May 25, 2018). "In West Virginia, a moving, respectful tour of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum". Washington Post.
- ^ Jacks, Kim (2008). Weston State Hospital (Thesis). ProQuest 304446506.
- "The Restored Government of Virginia--History of the New State of Things". New-York Times. Virginia. June 26, 1864 .
- "Virginia-West Virginia Debt Agreement of 1861 ORDINANCES OF CONVENTION, ASSEMBLED AT WHEELING, VIRGINIA JUNE 11, 1861 ORDINANCE OF AUGUST 20, 1861".
- ^ Weston Hospital Revitalization Committee (2005). "Hospital News". Archived from the original on August 13, 2001. Retrieved February 19, 2007.
- ^ Historic West Virginia: The National Register of Historic Places. Charleston, W.Va.: West Virginia Division of Culture and History: State Historic Preservation Office. 2000. pp. 74–75.
- ^ "Murders at Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum". The Haunted Places. September 13, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
- ^ Johnson, Jenell (April 19, 2016). American Lobotomy: A Rhetorical History. University of Michigan Press. pp. 152, 162, 164–165, 168–169. ISBN 978-0-472-03665-3.
- ^ Cahal, Sherman (July 5, 2019). "Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum". Abandoned. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- Post Gazette (June 20, 1999). "A Town Sees Red Over Police Vandalism". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- Weston Hospital Revitalization Committee (2005). "About WHRC". Archived from the original on November 20, 2006. Retrieved February 19, 2007.
- "Morgantown contractor buys old Weston State Hospital". Charleston Daily Mail. Retrieved August 29, 2007.
- "Paranormal tours and Ghost Hunts TRANS-ALLEGHENY LUNATIC ASYLUM". trans-alleghenylunaticasylum.com. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
- Hines, Alex (October 12, 2018). "Asylum making plans to capitalize on appearance in Fallout 76". 12 WBOY. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- SPIN Staff Writer (March 1989). "Phantom of My Own Opera: SPIN's 1989 Daniel Johnston Profile".
- "'Expedition X' two-part premiere to feature Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum". WOWK 13 News. August 12, 2024. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
- "'Expedition X' two-part premiere to feature Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum". WBOY.com. August 12, 2024. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
External links
- Official website
- High Definition video from Kirkbrides HD
- Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum at Abandoned
- Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum at Architecture of the State
- Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum at Asylum Projects
- Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum at Kirkbride Buildings
- Weston State Hospital Cemetery interments at Find-a-Grave
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
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- 1864 establishments in West Virginia
- 1994 disestablishments in West Virginia
- Hospital buildings completed in 1881
- Buildings and structures in Lewis County, West Virginia
- Defunct hospitals in West Virginia
- Gothic Revival architecture in West Virginia
- Hospital buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia
- Kirkbride Plan hospitals
- National Historic Landmarks in West Virginia
- National Register of Historic Places in Lewis County, West Virginia
- Psychiatric hospitals in West Virginia
- Reportedly haunted locations in West Virginia
- Tudor Revival architecture in West Virginia
- Works Progress Administration in West Virginia
- Hospitals established in 1864
- Clock towers in West Virginia
- Jacobean architecture in West Virginia
- Abandoned hospitals in the United States
- Weston, West Virginia